Lap-feeding device for carding-machines.



" E No. 772,332.

PATENTED SGTx 18, 1904, G. SGHOPIELD & I REEDE LAP FEEDING DEVICE FOR OARDING MACHINES.

xrrmoumn FILED HAY 17, 1904.

N0 MODEL v 2 SHEETB-SHEET 1.

. PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904. (LSCKOPIELD & I. REEDER.

LAP FEEDING DEVICE FOR GARDING MACHINES.

APP LIGATION FILED MAY 17, 1904.

2 sums-$112M 2.

NO MODEL.

No. 772,832. V

UNITED STATES CHARLES SCHOFIELD Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

LAP-FEEDING DEVICE FOR CARDING-IVIACHINESL' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 772,832, dated October 18, 1904.

Application filed May 1'7, 1904. Serial No. 208,419. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be-it known that we, CHARLES ScHoFrELD and IsAAo REEDER, citizens of the United States,

residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Lap-Feeding Devices for CardingJlIachines, of which the following isa specification.

Our invention consists of certain improvements in the lap-feeding devices for cardingmachines forming the subject of our application Serial No. 156,808, filed May 12, 1903,:

ingmachines constructed in accordance with our present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section; and Figs. 1 and 5 are respectively a plan'view and an elevation, partly-in section, of the mechanism for rotating the rollers or drums, whereby the web or fleece is directed to the transverse conveyer-belt.

1 represents part of the cylinder, doffer, or other delivery element of a carding-machine,

- and 2 a slatted or other delivery-apron onto which the web or fleeceis delivered from said element 1 of the carding-machine, this delivcry-apron being substantially horizontal and beingsuitably driven, so as to travel in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3.

The frame which carries the delivery-apron 2 has at each end a projecting arm 3, the opposite arms being connected and stayed by a suitable transverse rod 1, and the outer end of each arm being suitablyanchored, as by means of a rod5, to the ceiling or other portion of the room in which the apparatus is located. From the arms 3 depends a frame which carries the upper and lower rollers or drums 6 and 7 of a pair of substantially vertical directing-belts 8 and 9, said frame consisting in the present instance of depending bars 10, connected by longitudinal rods 11 and cross-bars 12 and 13, the latter having pivotal connection with the bars 10, so that the frame carrying the directing-belts 8 and 9 can swing freely at its lower end. Such swinging movement can be imparted in any desired manner. In the present instance the bars 12 are connected by rods or linksl to crank-pins 15 on disks 16, which are driven from a'nyavailable shaft of the carding-machine. the vertical directing-belt frame carry projecting pins 17, on which are mounted antifriction-rollers engaging with slots in a carriage 18, which consists of opposite side plates The lower bars 13 of connected by transverse rods 19, this carriage having bearings for the reception of the shafts 20 of a pair of drums 21, which serve to direct onto the upper run of a transverse conveyer-belt 22 the fleece delivered by the ver: tical directing-belts 8 and 9.

traction-wheels 23, which run upon rails 24, one of the latter bridging the transverse conveyer-belt 22, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

To each shaft 20, adjacent to the inner face of each traction-wheel 23, is secured a ratchetwheel 25, and on the inner face of each traction-wheel 23 is pivoted a pawl 26, which is held in engagementwith the corresponding ratchet-wheel 25 by means of a spring 27, so

that as the traction-wheel revolves in one di-' rection the pawl will engage with and turn the ratchet-wheel, and consequently the shaft 20, to which it is secured, while when the traction-wheel turns in the opposite direction the pawl 'will slip over the teeth of the v shaft 20 and its drurn' 21 will be caused to turn inwardly or in the direction of the arrow,

Loosely mounted on the shafts 20 are flanged Fig. 5, while when the carriage 18 is moved outwardly or away from the carding-machine the innermost shaft 20 and its drum will be caused to turn outwardly or in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, there being no rotative movement of the outer drum on the outward movement of the carriage and no rotative movement of the inner drum on the inward movement of the carriage. As a consequence of this the drum which is acting upon the web or fleece'delivered by the vertical directing-belts 8 and 9 is always moving in the same direction as the direction of travel of said fleece. Hence the latter as it is folded back and forth on the transverse conveyer belt or apron 22 is laid smoothly and evenly and without the risk of being ruptured by the action of the drum thereon, injury to the web or fleece such as might be caused by contact of same with a reversely-rotating drum being entirely obviated. By reason of the slotted connection between the carriage 18 and the depending frame, which carries the directing-belts 8 and 9, said carriage is free to move in a horizontalcourse, while the necessary vertical movement of the roller end of the belt-carrying frame is permitted, there being no vertical movement of the upper end of the frame or of the upper portions of the directing-belts 8 and 9 such as would tend to increase and diminish the distance between said upper ends of the directing-belts and the drums 21 and would have a tendency to rupture the thin and delicate web or fleece which was being acted upon.

The belts 8 and 9 are driven from the inner drum of the conveyer-apron 2 of the carding-machine, said drum having at one end a chain-wheel 30, to which is adapted a chain belt 31, the latter also engaging a chainwheel 32 on the shaft of the upper drum 6 of the belt 9, and this shaft being geared by intermeshing spur-wheels 33 and 34 to the shaft which carries the upper drum of the belt 8, whereby the two belts 8 and 9 are driven so that their adjacent faces move in unison and in the same direction.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The con'ibination of the web or fleece delivering mechanism of a carding-machine, a transverse conveyor-apron, a pair of depending directing-belts and a pair of laying-drums whereby the web or fleeceis controlled in its passage from the delivery mechanism of the cardingmachine to the transverse conveyorbelt, and frames carrying said directing-belts and laying-drums, said frames engaging each other horizontally but being free from vertical engagement, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the web or fleece delivering mechanism of a cardinganachine and a transverse conveyer-apron, with a pair of vertical directing-belts and a pair of drums for directing said web or fleece from the delivery mechanism of the carding-machine to the transverse conveyer-belt, a carrying-frail]e for the diiectingbelts, rigid at the top, but swinging at the bottom, a horizontally-guided carriage for the laying-drums, and a horizontally-engaging, but vertically-free connection between said belt-frame and carriage, substantially as specified.

3. The combination in a lap-feeding device for carding-machines, of a transverse conveyer-apron, a horizontally-moving carriage having drums for directing a web or fleece onto the upper run of said conveyor-apron, and pawl-and-ratchet connections between said drums and the supporting-wheels of the carriage, whereby one drum will be turned in one direction when the carriage is moving outwardly, and the other drum will be turned in the opposite direction when the carriage is moving inwardly, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this'speciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES SCHOFIELI). ISAAC REEDER.

Witnesses:

VILLIAM E. BRADLEY, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

